Rotary engine.



No. 141,476. v PATENTED 00T. 13, 1903*..

L. s. FLATAU..

ROTARY ENGINE.

- APPLICATION ILED MAY 21, 1902. l

N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-ISHEBTL.

Witnesses I l y -I/ I I ma n A l 10.741,476. PATENTED oel-13,1903.

' 1.. s. PLATAU.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MA1 lZ1. 1902.

V 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mi Nanms ruins co. Pnorauho wAsHmaTcv. D.

PATENTEE 00T. 13, 1903. L. s', ELATAU. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED MA 21, 1902 'glo iro. 741,426.

rammed october 13, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS S. FLATAU, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ROTARY ENGINE.

sPEoIFroATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,476, dated october 13, 190s. Y

' Application iiled May 2l, 1902. Serial No. 108.402.' (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern: v y

Be it known that I, LOUIS S. FLATAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.A

Myinvention relates to rotary engines, and has forits object to produce an engine in which the outer casing revolves while the inner core remains statio'nary, and thus be adapted to be used on motor-vehicles. My engine is also adapted to employ y acetylene as a motive power instead of gasolene, and thereby give increased power for the amount of Vfuel consumed. L

The novel construction employed by .me in carrying out my invention is vfully *describedv 3 isa section of a modified form of my device,

taken on the line 3 3, Fig. V4.' Fig. 4 isla sectionon the line 4 4,'Fig. 3.

Like numerals of' reference The numeral 1 designates an axle, which is mounted in standards2 and held against rotation by a set-screw Formed integral with the axle 1 is a core or stationary piston- 4. The axle 1 is bored outat 5 to permit the passage of steam and is apertured at 6 to form inlet-ports, which communicate with op positely-extending radial inlet-ports 7. The axle 1 is apertured at 9 to form exhaust-ports which communicate with oppositely-extending radial exhaust-ports 10, formed in the piston 4at a quadrants distance from theports 7. Rotatably mounted on the axle 1 are sleeves 11, which are integral with the heads 12 of a cylinder 13, having'a rim 14.' The heads 12 are secured to the rim 14 by screws 14a.

Mounted on the periphery of the piston 4 adjacent to the inletports 7 are cams 15, which it transversely-extending dovetailed grooves 16, formed in the piston. These cams round off very gradually on the front at 15a, lout are cut ofic sharp-on the rear at 15b.

Recesses 17 are formed in the inner side of designate likel parts in the dierent Vviews of the drawings.Y

the rim 14.130 accommodate abutments 185, having hollow cylindrical bodies 19, bearing Vwings or followers 20, located to be engaged by the rounded faces 15a of the cams 15. Stiff spiral springs 21 are mounted within the bores of the cylinders 19 and each engages a recess 22 in one of the heads 12. These springs serve to hold the followers 2O in contact with the piston. adjacent to the recesses 17 to accommodate the followers and permit the c ams 15 to pass. The movement of the abutments 18 is limited by pins 24 engaging grooves 24a. Packingrings 25 held by springs 26 prevent all leakage.

In operation a combustion-chamber islattached to communicate with the bore 5 and is fitted-with means for exploding a mixture ot' acetylene gas and air. The vapor of this explosion will flow through the ports 7 and will act on the followers and rotate the cylinder 13 to drive a pulley 27, keyed on the sleeve 11. Each abutment willretain the pressure for a quarter-revolution, when it will permit exhaust for the next quarter, after which it will once more retain the pressure.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 a piston 28 of slightly-moditied form is used, which is apertured at 29 to accommodate rotary valvesY 3Q, having ports 31` and bearinggears 32. The gears 32 are arranged to mesh with a gear 33, formed integral with a revolving cylinder 34 of substantiallythe identical structure with the cylinder 13. This modified' form is designed to be operated by steam or other uid pressure. The ports 31 are located so as to cut 0E the steam after about one-eighth of a revolution has been accomplished, thereby compelling the engine to runy by expansion duringthe next succeeding eighth of a revolution, after which steam is again admitted, and so on. In this manner the engine is running by expansion half the time. c

I do not wish to be limited as to detailsrof construction, 'as these may be modified in many particulars without departing from the spirit of my invention. p

Having thus described my invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Niches 23 are formed in the rim In a. rotary engine, an abutment compris- I my handin presence of two subscribing witing a. hollow cylindrical body bearing a wing messes. formed integral therewith and a spiral spring y mounted within said cylinder and arranged LOUIS S FLAIAU' 5 to actuate said abutment, substantially as Witnesses:

described. J. E. LEITH,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set WM. E. HALL. 

